(Geek moment: skin cells are called keratinocytes and the suffix “lytic” means to decompose or disintegrate, hence kerato+lytic.) These keratolytic ingredients loosen the dead skin cells both on the surface of your skin and down in your pores to help you get rid of blackheads.

The non-prescription keratolytics used to treat acne are:

salicylic acid

benzoyl peroxide

glycolic acid

The best acne products to help you get rid of your blackheads contain one or a combination of these ingredients.

What Causes Blackheads?

Blackheads, called comedones, are plugs of dead skin cells, oil, skin germs, and debris that get stuck in your pores.

This stuff is normally present in your pores and is supposed to pass to the surface of your skin where you can wash it off. The problem is that they get sticky and form a clump that then gets lodged in the pore. This clump gets bigger and harder as it sits there, which makes it more stubborn when you finally start using the right products to treat your blackheads.

Some skin care products actually increase this clumping and are called comedogenic.

You definitely want to avoid these, and they are a little different for every complexion. I find that heavy oils are also sometimes a problem for blackhead-prone complexions and those include coconut oil, mineral oil and petrolatum.

Read the ingredients on all the products that you use on your blackhead-prone skin. I find that patients often don’t realize that things like their make-up and sunscreen can contain blackhead-forming ingredients. I recommend oil-free products free from the notorious, comedogenic ingredients for all my patients who are prone to blackheads.

Interestingly, as common as blackheads are, we still don’t know exactly why they happen on your skin in the first place. The good news is that even if we don’t know why they happen, we have great products to treat and prevent blackheads.

“It was my 38th birthday yesterday and this woman giving me a depicure thought I was in my 20s. She couldn’t believe it. I credit it to your products…” Tracy A, Penngrove CA

How do you get rid of blackheads and what are the best product to treat your blackheads?

Everybody’s skin is different which is why there are so many different acne skin-care products. Plus, all the keratolytic ingredients I mentioned above can be irritating if you have sensitive skin. You may even be allergic to benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid.

It means that to pick the best blackhead treatment products to fit your skin, you need to know something about your skin type and just how much of the keratolytic ingredients it will take to clear up your skin.

You need to know if your skin is:

oily and tolerant, meaning that you can’t remember the last time it got dried-out or irritated from a product;

normal to dry, meaning it’s not hard to “over-treat” it, causing dryness and chapping; and

allergic to salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.

You also need to decide:

if you want a one-step treatment with just a medicated cleanser that will leave behind some amount of active ingredient; and

if you also need to apply a product after washing for an even higher “dose” of the active ingredient.

For blackheads, I usually recommend both of these product types for my patients. This is why my acne kits have them both.

What are my recommendations for the best products to prevent and treat blackheads based on your skin type?

Select your skin type and needs, then click on the links to build yourself a customized skin-care regimen that treats your blackheads fast.

Tolerant and Oily Skin with Blackheads

If you have tolerant, oily skin you’re actually lucky when it comes to choosing blackhead treating skin care. You can probably tolerate products with a really high concentration of all three keratolytic ingredients. Because “more is better” when it comes to keratolytics, your blackheads will go away as fast as possible.

Normal to Dry Skin with Blackheads

If you have normal skin that’s not allergic to benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, the best treatment combo is in the Ultimate Acne Solutions Skin Care Kit, which also has all three keratolytic ingredients and great degreasing power to control excess oil production.

I’ve used a slightly lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid in this kit because normal-to-dry skin isn’t tough and oily, meaning you don’t necessarily need the highest amount of these ingredients to do the job. The concentrations in this kit are usually the “sweet spot” for normal skin – treating your blackheads fast without over-drying your skin.

Skin that is Allergic to Salicylic Acid

If using products with salicylic acid makes your skin dry and chapped, then you can still get great results by using products with either benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid, or both. Great options include:

You can mix and match these two ingredients, such as washing with the Foaming Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Cleanser, which will leave some benzoyl peroxide on your skin, and then applying the Glytone Exfoliating Lotion to add glycolic acid.

Or if you want to use glycolic acid alone, you can use my Glycolic Acid Skin Care Kit with Glytone Mild Gel Wash and Exfoliating Lotion.

You could even use the Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Cream once a day alternating with the Exfoliation Lotion to add benzoyl peroxide to your regimen with the Glycolic Acid Kit.

They all work great together and allow you to mix and match actives that fight blackheads!

“I have had so much better results with the Acne cleansing lotion.“

“I love Dr Baileys products and her generous educational support for the issues of skin care. My favorite is the Acne Cleansing lotionwhich I use with a BufPuf. This has replaced the Rx that I used for many years but was expensive and was discontinued. Before I found this product I tried many products with little beads which on occasion actually caused a pore blockage and in the end has been found to be bad for the environment. I have had so much better results with the Acne cleansing lotion.”Virginia B June 13, 2014

Skin that is Allergic to Benzoyl Peroxide

If you’ve had trouble with benzoyl peroxide in the past, then I usually recommend just sticking with glycolic acid. The best way to treat your blackheads using glycolic acid is with my Glycolic Acid Treatment Kit.

It’s perfect for oily skin and won’t over-dry normal skin. I use it for teens through adult patients. You can also add the Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid Acne Treatment Pads to get some salicylic acid on to your skin also. Salicylic acid is excellent at penetrating into an oily-clogged pore to bust-up blackheads. Use the pads after washing with the cleanser and before applying the Exfoliating Lotion.

What additional treatments for blackheads can you use to increase the results from your daily skin care treatment products?

When it comes to how to get rid of blackheads, the steady use of your at-home skin care is the most important thing you can do.

But, you can also boost your treatment with a few really great “hands-on” tricks, too. These include:

Deep pore-cleansing facials with extractions are a great way to jump start treatment and maintain results.

A series of light chemical peels done by a doctor or aesthetician will help to dissolve your blackheads, using even stronger amounts of keratolytics than what you can get in your daily acne treatment skin care products.

Add a Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing Systemto your skin care to really ramp up the effectiveness of all your acne products. Ultra-clean skin receives its medicated treatment more fully. Plus, the sonic waves from the Clarisonic will “jiggle” your cleanser down deeper into your pores to help clear-up your acne faster.

“My friend turned me on to the Clarisonic and I didn’t know what to get so I just got the easy regular one not the pro. I wish I hadn’t because when Sarah gave me a facial and used the pro it made such a difference. The different powers are important and really help my skin.

I just got a chemical peel now and I hadn’t needed one for about 6 months because the Clarisonic works so well for my skin. I even have my husband using it.”Cheryl M. G CA

Biore strips can pull blackheads out of the pores on your nose. Be careful, though. I’ve seen patients pull off a little skin with these strips, too.

Clay masks help draw oil out of your pores and refine your pore size. The results are temporary, but hey, temporarily smooth pores are better than nothing. However, you can’t use them everyday because they can be too drying.

On a final note, prescription retinoids are really powerful keratolytics for treating blackheads.

They include products like Retin A (tretinoin), Differin, and Tazorac, which require a trip to the doctor. They’re tricky to combine with the other non-prescription products so you’ll need medical supervision to add them to your skin care regimen.

You can add a non-prescription retinoid called retinol. Retinol Night Cream will add the retinoid keratolytic action to fight blackheads and it also has benefits for fighting the signs of skin aging.

For more information on how to get rid of blackheads and my acne treatment, see my Acne Treatment Tips – dermatologist’s advice that fits both your acne and skin type.

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Disclaim Medical Advice: The information in the Dr. Bailey Skin Care web site, and related links, articles, newsletters and blogs, is provided as general information for educational and advertising purposes only. The information is the opinion of Dr. Cynthia Bailey, or other indicated authors. Consult your physician or health care provider for any specific medical conditions or concerns you may have. (This also applies to Dr. Bailey’s patients in her medical practice in Sebastopol - the information is not a substitute for, or an extension of, the medical care she provides her patients.) Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read here. Use the information and products referred to in this information at your own risk. Use of the Dr. Bailey Skin Care web site, and related links, articles, newsletters and blogs indicates your agreement with these statements and the Terms and Conditions of DrBaileySkinCare.com. If you do not agree to all of these Terms and Conditions of use, please do not use this site.